Foot and Mouth Disease

Useful Resources

Foot-and-mouth disease information for veterinarians developed by Biosecurity QLD - including  downloadable FMD resources for veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals

Foot-and-mouth disease online training for veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals  - developed by Biosecurtiy QLD. If you are a veterinarian or veterinary paraprofessional, this training package will help further your understanding of FMD and notification requirements.

Updated March 2023

Current Situation

There has not been an incursion.

• FMD is a highly contagious disease which affects cattle, buffalo, pigs, sheep, deer, camelids and goats, which are those animals with a cloven hoof. It spreads through close contact between animals and can be carried on animal products, equipment, people’s clothing or by the wind.

• Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been detected in 24 of 37 provinces in Indonesia, including Bali, and there is an increased risk of an incursion into Australia. As at 1:30pm on 29th March 2023 the Indonesian government has reported 607 727 FMD infected animals. There have been 11 994 282 FMD vaccinations administered. The largest number of vaccinations have occurred in the provinces of East Java, Central Java, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara. 

• Indonesia’s government has started to distribute FMD vaccines donated by Australia. 2.84 million of the initial 3 million vaccine doses (94.7%) procured by the Indonesian Government have already been distributed.

• The World Organisation for Animal Health (WAHIS) issues updates on the status of FMD in Indonesia, as reported by Indonesia on the Indonesian government’s website.
• The emergence and rapid spread of FMD in Indonesia has changed its risk profile and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has heightened border activities accordingly.
• Australia is providing support to Indonesia to combat the outbreak. Assistance includes advice from Australian technical experts, supply of vaccines and offers of financial support. This is in addition to assistance already being provided to combat lumpy skin disease, that was recently detected in Sumatra.
• More information about FMD is at gov.au/famd

Government measures

• Following official confirmation from Indonesian authorities that FMD had spread to Bali, new measures were immediately imposed to protect Australia from an FMD incursion. This is due to the high number of people who travel between Bali and Australia.
• These measures include:
  • foot mats now operational for all incoming flights from Indonesia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Brisbane, and Cairns.
    • the mats help to sanitise the footwear of arriving passengers using a 3 per cent citric acid solution.
    • biosecurity officers granted extra powers under the Biosecurity Act 2015 to direct all travellers from Indonesia and Bali to walk over the sanitising foot mats after disembarking, and other measures such as shoe cleaning
    • implementation of SmartGate travel history question, and questioning by border officials, to identify travellers who have been in Indonesia in the past 7 days, for referral to biosecurity for assessment and screening
    • biosecurity detector dogs have been redeployed in Darwin and Cairns airports
    • additional signage and the distribution of flyers at major airports, informing travellers of FMD risk and precautions
    • expanded social media campaigns, informing travellers of their biosecurity responsibilities
    • 18 new biosecurity officers in airports and mail centres
    • additional training of airport biosecurity staff 
    • new targeted diagnostic and surveillance programs
    • enhancement of mail profiling and inspections
    • biosecurity officers boarding planes and playing new biosecurity message on all inbound flights from Indonesia to reinforce Australia’s strict biosecurity measures and provide FMD-specific advice to travellers.
    • risk-profiling 100 per cent of passengers that come into Australia from Indonesia
    • targeted FMD announcement in airport terminals
    • 43 new contract staff to assist with treating footwear and maintenance of sanitisation mats
    • Detector dogs are now based in all airports receiving flights direct from Indonesia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin and Cairns.
      • The detector dog fleet has been upskilled to detect additional FMD risk product, including cheese and non-shelf stable milk products.
    • strengthened requirements for expanded foot bath use for livestock vessels while docked at Australian ports. Since 30 August 2022, all commercial vessels are being asked to deploy foot baths at the bottom of gangways for all vessels arriving from Indonesia.
• the Australian Government has already committed to the following funding packages in response to the imminent threat of LSD and FMD:
  • $10 million cooperation package through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia-Indonesia Health Security Partnership to assist Indonesia as it responds to the outbreaks of FMD and LSD. This includes $4.4 million for the purchase of 3 million FMD vaccines. This is in addition to the initial investment of 1 million vaccines (at a cost of $1.5 million).
  • $1.1 million to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) for the Indonesia Biosecurity Support Project, to enhance biosecurity capacity in Indonesia’s commercial feedlot sector to curb the spread of FMD and LSD.
• The department periodically conducts retail purchasing and verification testing activities on meat products which may pose a biosecurity risk. Meat and other risk products that have been intercepted at international airports and mail centres are also periodically tested to monitor the presence of high-risk diseases. These activities are part of the department’s assurance program to ensure existing measures and processes continue to effectively manage biosecurity risks.

Biosecurity and reporting

Feral animals

• Australia has a number of feral animal species that are susceptible to FMD. These include cattle, water buffalo, sheep, deer, pigs, goats and camels.
• It isn’t possible to eradicate feral animals across Australia. However the AUSVETPLAN Wild Animal Response Strategy outlines procedures to manage wild animals in the event of an animal disease outbreak such as FMD. Although some feral animal populations have a wide geographical distribution, most exist at lower densities than domestic livestock. Population density is one factor that influences spread of FMD in a population.

• A 2013 report commissioned by Wildlife Health Australia, Australia’s coordinating body for wildlife health, concluded that feral animals are unlikely to play a significant role in maintaining and spreading FMD in Australia. The only exception is the water buffalo, due to the potential for individuals to become long-term carriers of the disease. 

• An Australian disease modelling study, published in 2015, suggests that if FMD is controlled in domestic livestock, it is likely to die out in feral pig populations without specific disease control measures being applied to feral pigs.

• This is likely to apply to most other feral animal hosts and has been the case for successful control of outbreaks in other FMD-free countries.

• The Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy program carries out surveillance for animal diseases in livestock and feral animals across the north of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland and works closely with landholders, industry and communities to increase awareness of these risks.
• Livestock producers should put measures in place, where possible, to prevent feral animals coming into contact with their stock. This could include making sure boundary fences are in good order and developing a wild and feral animal control program.

Livestock owners

• All travellers have now been advised to avoid interacting with livestock and going to farms in Indonesia. If you have had contact with livestock or visited farms, avoid contact with Australian livestock or farms for 7 days after your return.
• As part of on-farm biosecurity practices,  make sure visitors and short-term workers come clean and go clean. Pests and diseases can spread easily on equipment, vehicles, clothing and footwear used between farms.
• Livestock producers must be alert for signs of disease in their animals. If animals are showing signs of illness that are consistent with FMD, this must be reported as a matter of urgency to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 or to their local veterinarian.
• Feeding meat, animal products and imported dairy goods to pigs is illegal throughout Australia. This practice is known as feeding prohibited pig feed (swill) and can provide a high-risk pathway for FMD to enter Australia.
• All livestock owners should have stringent biosecurity measures in place on their property, and now is the time to get a Farm Biosecurity Plan in place. 

Northern Australia

• Do not move live animals, meat and dairy products, untanned hides or skins, other animal products or soil between the Torres Strait Protected Zone and the Torres Strait Permanent Biosecurity Monitoring Zone or to mainland Australia without a permit and an inspectionby a Department of Agriculture,  Fisheries and Forestry biosecurity officer.
• Keep a watch for planes or boats in your region that may be carrying animals or animal products onboard. Also keep watch for food and garbage washed up on the beach that could potentially be contaminated with the virus. If you see any of these threats, contact a local ranger or your nearest Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy office.

Vaccination in Australia

• Currently Australia is recognised as ‘free from FMD, without vaccination’. This allows Australia’s international trade to continue. If vaccination were implemented, Australia would lose this status, which would affect trade.
• The decision of whether to vaccinate and how to apply vaccination is complex and will depend on many factors including:
  • the nature of the outbreak
  • epidemiological considerations
  • logistical and resourcing issues
  • animal welfare considerations
  • industry and public attitudes
  • socio-economic considerations
  • trade implications
  • international standards
  • international experiences with the use of vaccination in previously free countries.
• The Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases (CCEAD) will consider the use of vaccination from day one of an FMD response.
• Australia has an overseas FMD vaccine bank and vaccine will be available for use if there is an incursion in Australia.

Impacts

• FMD is considered one of Australia’s greatest biosecurity threats.
• An incursion would have severe consequences for Australia’s animal health and trade.
• An uncontrolled outbreak could lead to immediate closure of our meat export markets for more than a year. In 2022, ABARES estimated that a large FMD incursion across multiple states would have a direct economic impact of around $80 billion.

Preparedness

• Australian, state and territory governments are working closely with our livestock industries to stay-up-to date on the situation in Indonesia, and to highlight the need for vigilance and prevention activities.
• Australia has detailed, well-rehearsed FMD response plans and arrangements in place. Governments and industry’s preparedness is continuously reviewed.
• The AUSVETPLAN response strategy for FMD is part of our national response arrangements. The plan sets out the nationally agreed approach that would be taken to respond to FMD if it occurred in Australia. The plan includes an assessment of the role of vaccination in responding to an incursion.
• Australia's Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) documents nationally agreed arrangements for the cost sharing of compensation paid to affected livestock enterprises.
• Compensation payments are managed under jurisdictional legislation and processes which vary to some extent between individual states and territories and the Australian Government.
• Find out more on EADRA on the Animal Health Australia website.

History of the disease

• FMD outbreaks are common in Asia, the Middle East, South America and parts of Africa.
• Outbreaks of FMD in the United Kingdom in 2001 and 2007 resulted in millions of animals being destroyed and billions of dollars of revenue lost. The impacts of these outbreaks were felt way beyond livestock owners. There were significant impacts on on tourism, small businesses, and schools. Mental health impacts were also a significant aftermath. 
• Taiwan reported several outbreaks beginning in February 2009. 
• In 2010, both Japan and the Republic of Korea experienced large FMD outbreaks which required extensive programs to control the disease. The 2010–11 Korean outbreak is estimated to have cost the government some 3 trillion won, equivalent to about $US 2.7 billion.